The ethno-cultural festival "Venok Druzhby" ("Wreath of Friendship") opened the doors to the vast world of cultural diversity of Russia for the audience, giving an unforgettable experience of getting acquainted with the culture, values and customs of peoples, dances and songs performed by talented groups of KIU, as well as invited guest and students of Kazan schools.
The festival is held annually as part of an ethnoproject created by the Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogy. It is aimed at introducing the younger generation to the traditions of the peoples inhabiting our country. The wonderful concert program shown at the Puppet Theater "Ekiyat" impressed the audience with the scale and love for their native country.
"We are different, but equal!" is the motto of the cultural and ethnic program of the 2023 festival, held under the name "Family Tree". In the story, children learn from their grandfather about their multinational roots, imprinted in a magical book about the family tree. The book turned out to be so interesting that the children, competing for the right to read it, accidentally tear up the book, and then try to restore, fragment by fragment, the historical wealth of the Motherland contained in it. On the big screen, the audience saw how the family tree was gradually restored, and knowledge about each nation was accompanied by magnificent performances by artists.
Tatars were the first to be represented on the Ekiyat stage: the titular nation of Tatarstan and its traditions were presented by students Diana Novoselova and Ilvina Salikhzyanova with excellent creative numbers.
Bashkir traditions were shown by talented KIU college students who performed a bright national dance.
Chuvash folk dance "Tasha" is a part of folk culture, which was shown by students of KIU.
The Caucasus is a huge world, each nation of which is original and unique. The peoples of the Caucasus were presented by the legendary Kavkaz Style team, its beloved artists, as well as the very young generation. Azerbaijan, Adjara, Dagestan, Georgia, Chechnya – the ethnic groups of these territories were vividly revealed by the talents of the famous dance group.
Traditionally, audience was pleased with the Mix Style dance theater: a wonderful number of its participants opened the door to the culture of mysterious Uzbekistan.
The traditions of the peoples of Kyrgyzstan were shown by artists Ali Ismagilova and Zhakshylyk Ablakimov.
Native Buryat traditions were shown in a beautiful costume number by students of KIU Namsarai Rinchinov and Mergen Tsybikov.
The creative team of the Armenian song and dance "Shalakho" demonstrated the traditions of its people.
The traditional Jewish people were represented by students of school No. 175 in Kazan.
A beautiful Montenegrin song was sung by the talented Irma Haidarpasic.
And finally, Russian culture was represented by the students of school No. 142 with a fervent dance with matryoshkas, and student Elina Shtykova sang the famous song about valenki.
At the end, all the artists took the stage to the stormy and prolonged applause of the audience. Without a doubt, it was a real holiday, thanks to which many were imbued with interest and love for the traditions of different peoples and became a little closer to each other.
We express our gratitude to the Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogy, Associate Professor Rimma Khanmurzina, and all the students who participated in the preparation and holding of the festival. Thank you for bringing the peoples of Russia together even more! Thank you for a wonderful concert!